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White House, Hill GOP to hear from BlogHer

BlogHer, the online network that serves to advance the voices of women, is heading to Washington to brief the White House and members of Congress on how to use technology to engage women online. Here's BlogHer's Erin Kotecki Vest:

I am pleased to announce that on Wednesday, December 16th in Washington, D.C., BlogHer Co-Founder and COO Elisa Camahort Page and I will be briefing the White House and Republican leaders on just how important women online have become and why they need to continue to pay close attention to this community. We will be presenting to White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and members of the administration's new media team and Republican Conference Vice-Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who has invited all 17 female Republican members of Congress to join us. We will share data about the most active women in social media and best practices for listening to and engaging with us.

Just a few years ago, BlogHer was little more than an idea: that there was a natural constituency of women who chose to engage online. That assumption has been challenged by battles over mommy blogging and the like, but it's powerful to see that idea grow into something that is now being listened to (even if it's for strategic advice on how to reach more of that constituency) at the highest levels of government. A meeting like this also points to the fact that the White House has an interest in connecting with online audiences who are organized around issues, as a complement to or replacement for treating big-name progressive bloggers as the natural point of contact online.

Interesting to note, though, that this briefing is only aimed at the 17 female Republican members of Congress. Where are the Dems in this, not to mention the men?

Chicago's "black site"; The New York Times reports "little guys" like Tumblr and Reddit have won the fight for net neutrality but fails to mention Free Press or Demand Progress; Hillary Clinton fan products on Etsy to inspire campaign slogans?; and much, much more. GO